A Taste of Austria in Chelsea

Brats: Dogs & Wieners is a new hot-dog eatery that makes all of its sausages and mustards in-house, using locally sourced ingredients. (See related article.)

Updated Oct. 25, 2010 11:46 p.m. ET

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Chef and owner Daniel Angerer wrote a business plan for Brats Dogs & Weiners three years ago. When a storefront opened up around the corner from his restaurant Klee Brasserie on Ninth Avenue and 22nd Street in Chelsea, Brats was born.
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The Canard Saucisson, duck sausage with a layer of country pate, is served with red wine mustard.
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The interior of Brats, featuring red diner stools along the a butcher-block bar and a corner booth, has a modern but nostalgic feel.
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The 3 Dog Quickies, beef-sausage bites—shown here with a side of red cabbage slaw—comes with pineapple-cola ketchup.
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Though his repertoire at Klee Brasserie boasts mostly high-end, poetic European-style dishes, Mr. Angerer said he didn't want to limit himself in terms of what he could create. "You still want to cook beautiful food, but beautiful food doesn't have to be truffles," he said.
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The spinach and tofu dip, containing horseradish, is served with brown rice chips.
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"The economy has changed the way people eat," Mr. Angerer said in describing the appeal of Brats. "It's a different experience eating with your hands. It's an instinctive eating."
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The Japanese dog, made with Akaushi beef—a type of Wagyu beef—comes with a side of burnt-onion ketchup.
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Brats is awaiting its liquor license, but has plans to serve sake, port, grappa and wine on tap. "The high alcohol content of sake balances the fat content of the sausages well," Mr. Angerer said.
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Vegetarians can partake in the ersatz dog ($8.50), a smoked sausage made with no animal products. It contains beans, oregano, grains and chili flakes, and comes with a side of smoked onion chutney. Mr. Angerer chose not to use a typical vegetarian casing. "Those things have so many chemicals in them," he said. "There's no point in avoiding meat only to replace it with chemicals."
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